Striving for the old-fashioned American dream…one chicken at a time….LOL

Lesson Learned (the hard way)

I purchased a tie out cable for The Wild One (aka “Boo”, the goat with the white muzzle and ears) yesterday and put it on her today. I hooked her near the pool where there was plenty for her to eat and enjoy. I had Bessie, the calf, nearby and The Instigator (aka “Spooky”) within eyesight.

I went out this evening (when it was almost dark) to let them head to the little barn. I decided to let The Wild One loose first in the yard. She startled when I walked near her, and she ran around my front, her cable wrapping around my legs. I reached out with my hand and grabbed the cord – too late! She had six feet of slack, and she ran around my legs twice more, essentially tying my left hand to my leg and hobbling me. Down I went on my rear, and she was freaking out, jumping everywhere, hooves and horns flying. All I could think was that she was going to hit me in the back of the head with her hooves and kill me. I was flailing my arm around trying to scare her back away from me and screaming my head off.

Sahara had walked out on the porch, and she heard me. She came flying down the steps, and by that time, I had my hand out and unhooked the cable on the goat. She flew off through the yard to the little barn. The other two just stood until I unhooked them; I think they were as shaken by what the little goat did as I was.

There are no pictures with this post as I am sitting with my legs propped up on the couch, an ice pack on the back of my knees and two others on the front. I have purple bruises that look like long welt lines all the way around my knees (front and back though the backs are way worse than the front).

Lesson learned: unhook the crazy little wild goat’s cable from the FENCE, not from her little halter, and do not spook her!